Keystone Academy Beijing Pioneering a New Model of Education in China

BEIJING, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In Fall 2014, Keystone Academy Beijing opens its doors, officially setting into motion the molding of a new paradigm in Chinese education. The Academy, founded by Chinese and American educators and thoughtful parents, aims to cultivate global confidence, capability and ease through a groundbreaking academic program that combines the best of Chinese and Western pedagogies, and to prepare generations of young people to lead in bold new ways.

Conceived in response to Chinese parents' and childrens' demands for an education that is located in China, it will draw the most talented high school students from around the world, and will preserve the Chinese identity. Keystone has been bold in making this idea a reality; the School has attracted and hired a team of well-respected and experienced educators from around the world, which include, namely, former Head of School at The Hotchkiss School, Malcolm McKenzie (Founding Head of School), and Dr. Edward Shanahan (Founding President), former Head of Choate Rosemary Hall, and employed renowned firm Centerbrook Architects and Planners to design its interior classrooms, laboratories, libraries, residence halls, common areas and athletic facilities.

The Academy will offer an innovative academic program that consists of a curriculum with a Chinese identity that explores China in a global context – its history, art, culture, politics and geography - at its core, combined with the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for Primary School, International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Year Program (MYP) for Middle School, and IB Diploma Program (DP) for High School.

Students will receive Bilingual Immersion in their primary years and continue their education in both Chinese and English in the Middle and High Schools. English instruction will become more intensive and advanced in the Middle and High Schools to prepare students for the rigors of college and university coursework abroad.

An elite U.S.-Style Boarding Program will be available as partial and full boarding options for students year Seven and up. In stark contrast to boarding models currently available in China, Keystone's boarding program will use the boarding setting to give students opportunities to practice values and skills such as hard work, independence, initiative, leadership, integrity, connection to others, empathy and global citizenship.

Chinese nationals will constitute the majority of the student body, though the School anticipates strong interest from children and families in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, Korea and around the world. Enrollment for the School will be highly competitive and seek to discover those students who are bright and bold in their thinking, creative in their approach, determined in their execution, collaborative in their teamwork, humble in their achievement, and hungry for opportunity.

The Keystone leadership team arrives in Beijing this month to start full-time work in preparation for the School's Inaugural Fall 2014 opening in Beijing's Shunyi District, in what promises to be an important moment in the history of the evolving Chinese education. The Academy will hold information sessions and begin accepting applications for Inaugural year Grades 1-9 starting in September. To learn more about the School, please visit: www.keystoneacademy.cn or contact the Admissions Office at +86.010.5825.6008.